Africa

Mary Lee, Hannah (our sixteen year old daughter), Taylor (our twelve year old son), and I travel to Zambia at the end of June for a couple weeks in Zambia visiting David and Terri Wegener and their children. I'll have some teaching and preaching opportunities there, and we'll all spend time at the orphanage.

Mary Lee, Hannah, and Taylor will then spend a week in Hungary visiting our dear friends, Grant and Deb Olson, who work there with Campus Crusade. Meanwhile, I will be in Kigali, Rwanda with ten other men from our congregation erecting a steel building which will serve as a Christian school under the direction of Jean Baptiste, National Director of Rwanda Youth for Christ. We would appreciate your prayers for our travel and ministry.

If you're interested in learning more about Africa, here's a list of books I've read and recommend highly:

On another World magazine blog site, Zeitgeist, Jack Crabtree writes:

I traveled to Africa this summer with my friend, Earle Craig, a staff pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Costa Mesa California. We were invited by Dr. Moffat Zimba, president of Northrise University in Ndola, Zambia. I taught an intensive two-week course on Romans. Earle taught an intensive course on the Pentateuch. The ministry students at Northrise have learned their Bible largely from TBN and much of what the apostle Paul was saying in the book of Romans was radically different from what they had absorbed through Christian culture. What struck me was their response. I discovered, to my delight, that I was in a room full of biblicists, authentic biblicists. Not just people who liked to say that the Bible was their ultimate authority, but people who actually believed it and practiced it. If they were persuaded that the biblical text was teaching what I was proposing, they were prepared to change their view of God, man, and the cosmos in order to have their views conform to what the Bible teaches. As I teach here in America, it is not unusual for people to respond, "That can't be right! I've never heard that before." The objection is not, "That can't be right! That's NOT what the Bible says" (followed by an argument for why the Bible is saying something different). Rather, the objection is, "That can't be right because we have never heard that interpretation before." Or even, "That can't be right because WE don't believe that." Americans ground their beliefs in culture and tradition more than they do in the Bible. Too often we are not prepared to let the Bible correct and stand in judgment over our particular Christian subculture and tradition. We prefer to live in the safety of some community consensus. In contrast, these Zambians I was with seemed genuinely prepared to alter their lives by what the Bible was saying to them.

So what's the likelihood that two of Zeitgeist's bloggers spent time in Ndola, Zambia this summer training future pastors? Well, my wife, Mary Lee, and our two youngest children, Hannah and Taylor, spent the first two weeks of July in Ndola while visiting our dear friends, David and Terri Wegener. David teaches at the Theological College of Central Africa and I've visited him twice in the past fourteen months. During the visits I've taught classes at TCCA, preached in their chapel services, and preached at area churches.

The work of TCCA is impressive and, in a heartbeat, I'd encourage African men to prepare for the ministry there rather than leaving the continent to be trained in the US, for instance. TCCA is lead by an able principal, Joseph Simfukwe, who has served in the pastorate and directs TCCA with a wise and godly pastor's heart.

But on to the matter of Trinity Broadcasting Network and the authority of Scripture in Zambia as compared to the United States.

A new laptop will be unveiled by MIT's Media Lab in November. The laptop has been designed to sell for under 100 US and to open the information age to billions more.

A few years ago a missions leader in eastern African asked me for book recommendations in a number of areas of biblical studies and theology. He was writing material for the church leaders of his nation and needed some foundational material himself. After collecting my recommendations, I prepared to order the books and ship them to him.

Then it occurred to me that what I was doing was foolish. A number of my recommendations were available electronically (often PDF documents), and those too new to be available electronically were often easily replaced by similar works that were available. Here (scroll down for the free books--caveat non-emptor: there's chaff in this wheat), here, and here are representive links.

So I ended up shipping a few printed books, but also a number of CDs with hundreds of electronic books burned onto them. And of course, it was all at a fraction of the cost with the added benefit of not being susceptible to mildew or theft! And for the cost of the media (a CD at ten cents) my friend could duplicate the books for others.

So I'm excited about this new laptop. It could do much to open up excellent material to Christians around the world.

By the way, the computer will run a stripped down version of Linux (hip hip hooray for open source); its screen will switch from color to black and white on the fly, with four times the resolution in black and white (able to be viewed in sunlight); and its screen hinge will incorporate a small crank to make it independent of a plug-in power source.

Bruce Wilkinson is best known for his little booklet, The Prayer of Jabez, which sold millions of copies and made Mr. Wilkinson a very, very rich man. Then, back in 2002, Mr. Wilkinson became convinced that his next project should be solving Africa's problems.

Wilkinson moved to Swaziland where he intended to build a massive demonstration project that would become a model for healing the continent. According to a December 19, 2005 article (sorry, by subscription only) in the Wall Street Journal, Wilkinson announced his Swaziland project would include a bed-and-breakfast, game reserve, Bible college, industrial park, and tourist destination similar to Disney's theme parks.

He founded a non-profit organization called Dream for Africa and took off on the lecture/sermon circuit to promote his vision.

Rick Warren invited Mr. Wilkinson to Saddleback Community Church and, following his visit, adopted a similar vision for another African nation, Rwanda.

Robert Schuller invited Wilkinson to preach at his Crystal Cathedral. Coinciding with his work, Dream for Africa, Wilkinson had issued another booklet called The Dream Giver. Pushing both his new booklet and his Africa work, Wilkinson began his October 26, 2003 sermon in the Crystal Cathedral titled "Living the Dream" as follows:

Good morning, everyone. I want to talk about dreams. Of all places in the world to talk about dreams this is the place ... because I think Dr. Schuller is the patriarch, in the work about living your dream.

(Jesus said) And if anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. (Matthew 10:42)

Heather Ummel, Tim's eldest, writes: This little girl died last week of AIDS in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at Le Toukoul Orphanage. Just four short weeks ago, I met her and held her in my arms. I wish I knew her name, but it was very hard to pronounce in Amheric and now I can't remember it. Now, like a wisp, her life is gone. She was one of the orphans living in Toukoul Orphanage where I picked up my son to bring him home. She touched my heart through her smiles. It seemed it must be painful for her just to be held--her skin was so tightly stretched over her skeleton. But there was no complaint--only smiles.

She was six years old in a body of a two or three year old. She couldn't say more than a few words; I think the strain would have been too much. And yet she smiled. She wanted to go in our car, but we couldn't take her anywhere. We handed her back to one of the workers to take back to her crib, where we were told she spent most of her life. Another of the HIV-positive children at the orphanage died the same week of chicken pox. These are the children dying of AIDS. This is the face of the two to three million children with AIDS in the world. A child under the age of 15 dies of AIDS every minute. It is hard to hear statistics, especially that vast of numbers, and picture real people, real children, children God commands us to care for. I turn and look at the happy little 7-month-old next to me, and realize he is alive and here only by the grace of God. May God bless those who are obeying His call to serve the least of these. And may there be more who seek to throw their arms open to these little ones--providing money to a ministry, moving to Africa to work, going to Africa to bring an orphan home.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." (Mark 10:13-16)

Note: Here's some wise advice from a Mission to the World (Presbyterian Church in America's mission agency) missionary, Pastor David Wegener, who is supported by both Christ the Word and Church of the Good Shepherd. David teaches at the Theological College of Central Africa. Write him at mtwafrica dot org.

Let me try and be specific about some of the things I now recommend concerning Christian missions and aid to Africa. I haven't always believed what I'm going to say below; I've learned by making mistakes.

Why have I changed? There have been several factors. One of my bosses at Mission to the World regularly sends out memos and passes on articles that have shaped my thinking. Sometimes I've reacted in frustration: if everything we're doing is wrong, what are we supposed to do? But he has also shown some good models of what we can do.

I've also seen the sense of entitlement in the churches and colleges here. Students think they are owed support by western mission agencies or donors. Churches expect short-term teams and individuals to bring them gifts. Sometimes they even make specific requests before any gift is offered.

Just yesterday, I was riding my bike to campus after lunch and passed a young boy of about 12 years old. Our eyes met and he said to me (quite audibly), "give me your bike." (And my bike is no fancy thing. It's a mountain bike, bought used in the States about ten years ago for $50.) This is a tiny thing, but it is illustrative of the sense of entitlement that we have helped create over here.

Here, then, are some guidelines that I recommend for giving to Africa...

The past few years there has been a growing division, bordering on fragmentation, of what used to be called the worldwide Anglican communion. The focal point of this division became the consecration in November 2003 of the Right Rev. Vicky Imogene "Gene" Robinson as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire within the Anglican communion's American branch, the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA).

Back in 1986 Robinson had divorced his wife and since 1989 has been living in a sodomitic relationship with New Hampshire state employee, Mark Andrews. His sexuality is not private, but very much a point of pride, and he seeks to lead others into the same shame he and Mr. Andrews bear--all this in the name of Jesus Christ and His Church.

A firestorm ensued and has continued to this day. For the most part, the breakdown has fallen along the lines of the northern and southern hemispheres, with the southern hemisphere--primarily Africa and the Diocese of Sydney in Australia--calling her northern sisters to repentance. Predictably, the vast majority of Anglicans today are members of southern hemisphere Anglican churches, so the Brits and Americans can't brush off the prophetic calls of Africa as they might otherwise be inclined.

As the ECUSA has hardened its position the past couple of years, steps have been taken by some churches and larger Anglican communions in the U.S. to sever fellowship with the ECUSA, transferring to various African communions where they would be in submission to church fathers of the African Anglican church.

This past week, a document surfaced that had been kept under wraps for the past couple of years...

Responding to the post directly below, Africa Bible Commentary; a preliminary review..., a brother writes asking for recommendations of good commentaries "written by African-Americans or Africans."

The question isn't easy, partly because of the definition of "African." Do you define "African" as someone who is black, who was born on the sub-Saharan part of the continent, and who continues to live there? Or is it someone who is black and was born on the sub-Saharan part of the continent, but it doesn't matter where he lives now? Or does skin color trump all, and someone who is black qualifies as an African no matter where he was born or presently lives?

At first it appears the editors view skin color as absolute since one contributor is listed with his country designated "African-American." But then, in the text of this preview document, John Stott claims these modern Bible interpreters are a "resurgence in the continent that gave us such interpreters as Augustine and Athanasius." Under this view, the continent trumps all.

So then, what do we do with those born and raised in Africa--even sub-Saharan Africa--who aren't black? Say, for instance, a white South African--is he African or is he a man without a continent?

A shipping supply station was set up by the Dutch on the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 and Dutch settlements grew from it over the next two centuries. If a man is a descendant of those Dutch settlers, is he African or European? And what if his great great grandfather married a Christian black African? Are their descendants African?

Now about this time some readers are thinking this is a rather delicate subject that no true gentleman would raise. I must demur.

If race relations are ever to be healed...

This Fall, Church of the Good Shepherd has four of her members and one close friend working at an orphanage called "The Cottages" in Loskop, South Africa. Our middle child, Michal, and her husband, Ben Crum, have been there since late August. Our fourth child, Hannah, and two friends, Kim Berner and Emily Dorton, arrived at the orphanage in early October. All five will come home on December 16th, Lord willing. Here are a few pictures they've been able to get up on Ben's blog. Check them out to see South Africa's landscape, but more the beautiful children.

The Cottages are under the auspices of a ministry birthed by folks who are a part of Mars Hill Church in Seattle called the Agathos Foundation. Like any startup, Agathos has had its ups and downs. Its web site summarizes their vision:

In an effort to provide a highly cost-effective, easily replicable support system for the unique needs of orphans and the elderly, the Agathos Foundation establishes farming communities in Southern Africa wherein the strengths of each age are brought together and utilized so that each distinct need is fulfilled. The Agathos Foundation--in cooperation with U.S. and regional charities, local churches, NGO's, cities and villages--purchases and maintains profitable farms that provide necessary capital for the housing, education, professional skill building, micro-financing, health care, and supervision of orphans by the elderly in an organic, familial environment.

But, as my mother says, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." Despite the exciting vision given above...

A number of years ago, our brother, Nathan, told us of the prevalence of the Masonic Order in one of the PCA churches in his area, and how the church would not stand for their pastor preaching against it...

(Tim) Last night, our elders, pastors, and wives gathered for dinner and an evening's conversation with Pastor Conrad Mbewe, a dear brother who serves as the pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia. Pastor Mbewe was here in the States to preach at the missions conference of Heritage Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky. Tonight, the men studying here at ClearNote Pastors College will also have dinner and an evening learning from Ba Mbewe. We all give thanks to God for this opportunity.

Some years back, Pastor David Wegener, a dear friend of my brother David and I who had served as a pastor here at Church of the Good Shepherd, moved to Ndola, Zambia, to begin serving as an instructor at the Theological College of Central Africa. Along with his wife, Terri, and their four children, Lizzie (who lives with Mary Lee and me this year), Mary, John, and Sarah, David is seconded to TCCA by the Presbyterian Church in America's mission agency, Mission to the World. At TCCA, David serves under Principal Joseph Simfukwe. Soon after beginning his work in Zambia, Pastor Wegener told us of the vital Biblically reformed work being done done in Lusaka by Pastor Mbewe, and since that time, Pastor Wegener has begun lecturing at the preaching college sponsored by Pastor Mbewe's congregation. So we knew of Pastor Mbewe through Pastor Wegener, but until last night, had never met him.

So who is Pastor Conrad Mbewe...

(Tim, w/thanks to Lucas) If anyone wants to know, I'm a doubter when it comes to the received wisdom concerning HIV and AIDS. Not a denier, but a doubter. Here's an interesting place to start...

Concerning Africa, most of what most people think they know about AIDS in Africa is wrong. Here's a superb review of Helen Epstein's The Invisible Cure: Why We Are Losing the Fight Against AIDS in Africa that appeared in the New York Times a year ago. I only now read it and leave you with these teasers...

(Tim) Each week, our church has a pickup soccer game at an elementary school near an apartment complex where a number of Muslim law school students live. When we're playing, one or more of the men (and sometimes their wives and children) come over to watch, and occasionally to play. Always, we talk afterward inviting them over for dinner and to church Lord's Day morning. A week and a half ago, one of the men came to both Sunday school and church.

Most of the men are from Turkey, but one is Liberian. During a conversation, the subject of Senator Barack Obama's faith came up and the Liberian gentleman said, "Barack Obama's a Christian, isn't he?"

"No, he's not a Christian," I answered.

"But doesn't he go to a Christian church?" he asked in some confusion.

"Well yes, he holds membership in a church that claims to be Christian, but it's not...

(Tim) If the Holy Spirit leads you to join in prayer for the work of Pastor Conrad Mbewe and Kabwata Baptist Church in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, please download this PDF of their October prayer letter.

(Tim) Some claim Obama has already released his birth certificate. But Factcheck is a pretty poor place to lodge his defense. On the left is a vault copy of his BC making it clear why Democrats and Republicans alike are raising questions (comments below LATimes piece).

The simple challenge made at the end of this video remains unanswered. McCain's released everything requested. Why does Obama refuse to do so?

(Tim) The emoting over Obama's blackness is cloying hypocrisy. If an African American ascending our Imperial Throne means anything, its meaning is bound up with the end of the oppression of a group of persons formerly declared not full persons under our Constitution due to the color of their skin.

Instead of learning the lesson of his skin color and descent, though, Obama glides into office on the blood of an entire generation of souls, red and yellow, black and white, who aren't enslaved, but slaughtered...

(David) A fascinating article on Africa's need of Christian faith by an African expatriate in the London Times... (Thanks, Alex)

Those who have read David Wegener's assessments of Africa's needs on this blog will find this article especially interesting. Here's a taste:

(Tim) Here’s the truth. Obama is the oppressor of children, born and unborn. But since his skin color is black, we can’t believe he’d oppress anyone. So we come out with all this blather about other social justice issues equally commanding our attention as Christians. Our goal, of course, is to obscure the fact that abortion absolutely dwarfs the death toll of all other forms of oppression around the world combined. That’s combined, brothers and sisters!

Why, just in these United States alone, since the bloody decision, Roe v. Wade, was issued, our nation has torn limb from limb, leg from torso, body from mother’s womb, over fifty million—50,000,0000—of our little children.

This number is so large that it makes Africans' Rwanda, Asians' Pol Pot, and Europeans' Hitler look tame by comparison. The only bloody oppressors who are even close to slaughtering the numbers we have slaughtered by our own national, systemic, bloody, oppressive, enslaving child-murders are Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong.

But, get this: If instead of talking about the death toll in our nation alone, we consider the international death toll from child slaughter through the murders we call “abortions,” then we’re talking about one Joseph Stalin every year. That’s well over 50,000,000 children slaughtered EVERY SINGLE YEAR!

It’s disgusting for otherwise educated and thoughtful men to seek to legitimize their conniving at this great bloody oppression that defines our nation by sniveling about systemic poverty and education and secondhand smoke and carbon emissions and AIDS.

If men who claim to know the Triune God want to vote Democratic; if men who claim to know the Triune God and have faith in Jesus Christ have black skin and want to vote for another man with black skin; we’d all be better off if they’d have the courage of their prejudices and admit them... You know, something like, “I’m afraid of not appearing progressive enough.” Or “I’m afraid my congregation would have my hide if I didn’t speak up for the brother.”

(Tim) Readers may remember our introduction of Pastor Conrad Mbewe, leader of Zambia's vital Reformed churches. Conrad has started blogging. For several months we've had a link to him here at Baylyblog.

Two recent posts merit our readers' attention. The earlier one is a meditation on the current state of South Africa and the reformed church's witness there. David Wegener commends this post to us. The more recent post is Conrad's caution to fellow Africans caught up in the Messianic (my word) hopes of their continent concerning our latest president, Barack Obama. Both are worth your time.

As always, Pastor Mbewe is a wise living demonstration of the power of the Word of God wielded by a man of faith.

(Tim) Conrad Mbewe serves as the pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia--one of the more vital reformed witnesses the Lord has raised up in our time. The congregation is known for reaching into the dregs of society in a non-patronizing way, doing frontline evangelism, training pastors at a pastors college they sponsor, planting churches around the country, etc. As I said, the Lord's presence and blessing are obvious to those familiar with the congregation. This is a reformed congregation with a large heart, no censorious spirit, expansive in its witness and hopes, and living in the fear of God.

Maybe that's the thing that most strikes me about Pastor Mbewe and his people: they have not used reformed doctrine as a pathway to cheap grace that silences the fear of God. Everything is not "grace, grace, grace" to them. Their harp of ten thousand strings does not harp on that one string so long.

This is a test. Read through Kabwata's prayer letter noting the parts we must admit would never be written; or, if written, never quite make it past the editor's keyboard of our own churches' newsletters. To help with the task, I've put several in bold italics.

If the letter piques your interest, here's Pastor Mbewe's blog where you'll find a truly Biblical apostolic African voice.

* * *

KABWATA BAPTIST CHURCH PRAYER LETTER

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

March 2009

Dear brothers and sisters,   

We open this prayer letter with the words of Scripture, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6). That is our testimony as a church as we review the last few months of the year 2008, including the first few months of this year.

MEMBERSHIP
The year 2008 was full of tears, as we lost precious church members who graduated from the church militant to the church triumphant. We also wept much over the excommunications that were necessary in order to avert the judgment of God upon the church...

(Tim) Praise the Lord! He has seen the affliction of his beloved and comforted them! Joseph and Heidi just heard the Ethiopian court has approved their adoption of Mamush, here pictured. Lord willing, they'll be travelling to Ethiopia this Saturday to begin the process of bringing their son home. Read more about it, here.

He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will... (Eph. 1:5)

(Tim) Since their return from Ethiopia where they spent two weeks, starting May 17, and picked up their son, Joseph and Heidi have been learning to be father and mother. Recently, they returned from a trip to Sawyer, Michigan and Pardeeville, Wisconsin, where they spent time with the Taylor and Staveness/Healy clans, respectively. All of us here in Bloomington have been rejoicing at God's kindness to Joseph and Heidi (and the rest of us) in giving them this wonderful child to raise as a Covenant child. What a joy he is to us!

(Tim, w/thanks to Kamilla) Early church fathers rebuked Christians for paying money to feed their dogs while leaving abandoned children to die on the slopes behind their homes. But today, no one calls Christians to consider the love and affection and wealth we shower on our precious pets while turning cold hearts to the handicapped, the elderly, illegal aliens, AIDS orphans, and the unborn children slaughtered each week at the abortuaries just down the street from our churches.

In fact, some churches are leading the way in making a principle of such perversity. Blathering on about dogs' deep feelings and souls, Covenant Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles, for instance, has begun holding worship services for dogs and their people...

(Tim: This original piece is by my nephew, Isaiah Taylor, from his blog for kids, Bosaiah's Blog. I'm sure our readers agree his creative ability is undeniable. Here's the young gentleman all decked out with his sibs. If you're a child and would like to read Isaiah's blog, send him an e-mail.) Now before I get into this, if you have any siblings (or you yourself) who believe in Santa Claus and the parents want it to stay that way, don't read this to them. I'm giving you you a fair warning because I could get in big trouble if I caused a little kid to drop their belief in Santa when their parents wanted them to think he was real.

The first point I want to make is that Santa Claus is taking the place of Christ in the Christmas season. The name Christmas has a simple meaning: Christ Worship Service. This is supposed to keep the focus on Christ, but the human mind is very inattentive. Most people don't know how this new religion came to be. It starts with a very generous man.

The story of Saint Nicholas tells of a poor man with three daughters...